


The Perfect Gift

by AvengersCompound (emilyevanston)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Christmas, Cute, Fluff, Gift Giving, Goats, Happy Steve Bingo, M/M, Miscommunication, Pets, Steve Rogers Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-26 19:41:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16687732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilyevanston/pseuds/AvengersCompound
Summary: Steve Rogers hears Bucky tell Sam that he wants a goat and Steve goes out of his way to find him one.for my happy steve bingo fill 'miscommunication'





	The Perfect Gift

Steve was really glad that the Avengers had moved upstate.  There was nothing about living in the middle of Midtown Manhattan in a skyscraper that would have lent itself well to what Steve had been doing for the past three weeks.  At least the compound was in the middle of nowhere. There were farms… not super nearby, but closer than if he were in midtown. Plus the compound had land, so the potential for paddocks to be put in.

That was the first step.  He’d run around the various contractors Tony had recommended.  They’d found a nice spot away from where the training was done and the Quinjets landed.  Close to the treeline but not too close. They’d put up a fence to keep out predators, little ramps for it to climb and a shelter that you could lock up.

Thankfully Bucky didn’t notice the strange construction going on.  Or at least if he did he didn’t find it particularly remarkable. The next step was going to be the tricky one.

You see, it was Christmas coming up and Bucky had said he had wanted a goat.  Why Bucky had wanted a goat wasn’t completely clear. Maybe it was just something he particularly missed about being in Wakanda.  Steve had overheard him telling Sam that he wanted one and Steve was determined to give him what he wanted.

Steve had always had a little weak spot for Bucky.   Little might be an understatement. Bucky was like a huge blind spot that sometimes hid everything else. When Steve was around Bucky it was a little like looking into an eclipse.

Since he’d finally got Bucky back and they’d returned to the US all Steve wanted on this earth was for him to be happy.  He’d spent so long protecting the little guy. He had fought and fought and fought and now he was done.

Well, not done-done.  Part-time Avengers. Training recruits.  Advising (particularly Sam and Bucky who had both been sharing the Cap mantle and quite frankly gave him headaches daily).  It was much more low-key and he was taking time for himself and his relationship and watching the man he loved, heal.

So if having a goat would make Bucky happy, then he would get Bucky a goat.

Finding a goat wasn’t easy though.  Steve Rogers knew a lot of things, but he did not know anything about two-toed ungulates.

He had looked up things on the internet.  It didn't exactly help.  He wasn’t quite sure if Bucky wanted a pet goat or a goat for milk or something else…  Steve really had no idea why else he might want with a goat. In the end, he figured pet. He’d never noticed Bucky had any particular preference for dairy and he definitely had never gone out of his way for goat meat.  For pet goats, the internet seemed to be in agreement the Pygmy Goat was the way to go.

Steve found farms nearby, made calls, and eventually found someone who had some babies for sale and ready to go.  He had driven out to the farm with no idea what made a good goat or really how to tell if they were healthy. He hoped the people there would be decent people and not the kind that just tried to get rid of the sickliest one.

Although knowing himself, he might be drawn to the sickliest one.  Sick goats need love too.

“Captain Rogers, nice to meet you.  I’m Joe.” The weather-beaten face of the man that greeted him cracked into a friendly smile and Steve felt at ease right away.

“Hey, Joe.  I know this isn’t what you’re supposed to do, but I really don’t know anything about goats.”  He admitted.

“You’re sure you want to buy one?  They take a lot of work.”

Steve nodded.  “It’s for my partner.  He used to work with them on a farm and I heard him saying he wanted one.  He knows what he’s doing. I just wanted it to be a surprise.”

Joe nodded and gestured to a barn.  “Follow me then. We can take a look and see if anyone stands out.”

Steve followed Joe into the large red barn.  The smell of warm hay and the slightly sour acrid smell of livestock filled the air.  There were a few empty stables on each side and a large open area at the back stacked high with bales of hay and straw.  To the right of it was a fenced off area where several baby goats and their mothers were currently bleating and running around.   “They get let out normally, I just kept them in because I knew you were coming,” Joe explained. “They’re all roughly the same age.  All purebred. Been seen by the vet. Wormed. All that kind of thing.” He started to point them out. “That little girl is quieter than most if you’re thinking of having it as a pure pet.  The two over there are quite playful. I like the coloring on the brown boy.”

Steve watched the kids play.  Using their mothers as structures to stand on.  Bouncing around together. Joe looked around and scratched his head.  “Where did that trouble making buck get to?” 

There was a tiny bleating from behind them and he and Joe turned and looked up to see a small white goat with a black face and black socks staring down at them from on top of the tower of hay.

“How in the hell…?”  Joe groaned.

The goat bleated again and began bounding down the side of the structure.  About halfway it tripped and fell head over heels the rest of the way. It landed in a loose pile of straw on the ground with an angry bleah sound, immediately got up and charged at Steve’s legs, headbutting him in the shin.

“This one.  I’ll take this one.”  Steve said immediately.

Joe raised his eyebrow at him.  “You sure about that?”

Steve nodded.  “He’s perfect.”

He and Joe worked out the payment and Joe helped get him into Steve’s car.  Steve had bought a red bow and after a short struggle, he managed to tie it around the goat's neck.  The drive back to the compound was around was around 45 minutes and even though Steve had put him in a pet carrier, the goat had managed to pull one of the seatbelts through the bars and chew it in half.  He had also pooped and then kicked the poop out onto the back seat. Steve sighed when he saw the mess. It was worth it. The look on Bucky’s face would be worth it.

He carried it inside and went on the search for Bucky.

“What’cha got there?”  Bucky asked when he saw Steve carrying the crate.  He was in the living room with Sam and Clint playing Mario Kart together.

“It’s your Christmas present,”  Steve replied. “I thought you could have this one early.”

“Did you get me a dog?”  Bucky asked, pausing the game and his eyes lighting up.

“You got Bucky a dog?”  Clint said spinning around and looking over the back of the seat like an excited kid.

“No.  Not a dog.”  Steve put the crate down and opened it.  The kid let out the loudest bleat that almost sounded like it was screaming in anger and charged out of the crate jumping up on the back of the couch before slipping and tumbling over.  It got back up again, bleated and headbutted Bucky in the side.

“You got me a goat?”  Bucky said, confused. He picked the kid up and looked it over.

“Yeah.  You said you wanted a goat.”  Steve replied. He felt a pit forming in his stomach.  He was sure this gift was perfect, so why did Bucky look so confused about it.

The goat had started chewing on his sleeve and Bucky scratched it behind the spot where it’s horns would grow in.  “When did I say you wanted a goat?”

Sam had started laughing silently and Steve felt the color rising to his cheeks.  “About a month ago. You were in here with Sam playing a game. You said to him, ‘I want a goat’.  I remember it clearly because I thought it was strange.”

Bucky looked over at Sam with his eyebrow raised.  “Did I tell you I wanted a goat?”

Sam couldn’t contain his laughed anymore.  It erupted out of him in a roar. “No!” He gasped.  “I think I’d remember you telling me that!”

“You sure you didn’t dream it, Stevie?”  Bucky said getting up with the kid cradled in his arms.  It was kicking its back legs like it wanted to get down and making small bleating sounds but Bucky seemed unphased.

“Yes.  I’m sure of it.  You were sitting right there.”  Steve said feeling the color rising to his cheeks.

“Oh man, I think I know what it was!”  Sam said, still in a fit of hysterics. “You got high-score on Rainbow Road, beating Clint.  You said you wanted to gloat. To Clint.”

Bucky and Clint burst into laughter.  “Oh my god. You got him a goat because you misheard.”  Clint giggled.  "That sounds like something I would do."

Steve frowned and furrowed his brow.  “Oh no. I don’t… I can probably take it back.”

Bucky shook his head and approached Steve.  “Oh, you punk. You didn’t even question it.  You heard goat and you just wanted to get me one to make me happy.  He’s perfect and aside from being an idiot, so are you.” He said pulling Steve close to him and resting his forehead against his.

Steve looked into the gray-blue of Bucky’s eyes and smiled a soft, embarrassed smile.  “You don’t have to keep him.”

“Try and stop me,”  Bucky said, bringing his lips to Steve’s.  Steve hummed even as the goat headbutted him in the chest.  Okay, so maybe it wasn’t the reaction he expected but this in some ways was even better.

Bucky pulled back and looked down at the goat now chewing on Steve’s shirt.  “I’m gonna name it Sam.”

Bucky and Clint both started laughing.  “Hey! Woah. What the hell?” Sam said, askance.  The look on his face of sheer horror made Steve burst out laughing too.


End file.
